


Campfire Tales

by VioletShade4



Series: Four Swords Manga Retelling [11]
Category: The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords
Genre: Campfires, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Everyone has feelings, Lots of Crying, M/M, Minor Swearing, Platonic Cuddling, goes with the whole emotions things, its all coming together! (plot wise), like 2 F bombs, lots of comfort, lots of cuddling in general, mostly fluffy, one tree dies, some down time for our boys, trading story's
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-15
Updated: 2020-07-14
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:48:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,432
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23152768
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VioletShade4/pseuds/VioletShade4
Summary: The Heros trade stories about what happened while they were separated and work through a lot of emotions. Pieces of the puzzle begin to fall into place.
Relationships: Blue Link/Red Link, Shadow Link/Vio Link
Series: Four Swords Manga Retelling [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1383286
Comments: 8
Kudos: 58





	1. Vio needs a distraction

By the time Vio finished his tale, the fire had faded to embers. 

“Hylia’s grace Vio!” Blue cried as he paced their cave “we wouldn’t have… if we’d known!”

“I know” Vio sniffled, there had been a lot of tears in the last few hours as Vio recounted his time in the Fire Temple. “He knew the risks…” Vio said as he stared into the dying embers. Green put his hand on the violet hero’s shoulder as he watched Blue pace muttering furiously. Red just looked lost glancing between Blue and Vio not quite sure who to comfort.

“I need some air,” Green said standing up. “Come on Blue we should get some more firewood.” Blue nodded, immediately heading for the cave entrance he didn’t even grab his cloak. 

Red sat down next to Vio resting his head on the taller boy’s shoulder. Not knowing how to help but hoping that his presence would be a comfort, all the same, it always helped him to have someone he loved nearby. After sitting for a while in companionable silence Vio spoke. 

“What about you?” Vio asked his eyes never leaving the popping coals. “what happened to you when we were separated?”

“Well.” Red said, pulling his cloak snugly around his body, “I appeared in a town, It was on fire, that’s when I realized I was alone…”

“Wait, you guys weren’t together? But at the duel... I thought I was the only one who got lost, I always assumed Shadow did it so I would be more likely to join him.” Vio turned to Red, his eyes finally leaving the glowing embers. 

“You're probably right,” Red said, “Because we all ended up in crazy places, I ended up in a border town, Blue ended up in the mountains and Green was in the desert! It had to be something magical,” 

“Ya, It had to be” Vio agreed, shivering as he moved closer to the dying embers. 

“One sec,” Red went over to where Vio had been sleeping earlier and grabbed a piece of fabric Vio hadn't noticed before. It was his cloak he must have thrown it off himself when he woke up. Red draped it around Vio’s shoulders and crouched beside him poking at the fire with a stick. His bright red cloak made him look so small only his face illuminated by the dying embers, the firelight dancing among the folds of his cloak as it sprawled on the dirt floor. The hem was ragged as if it had snagged on something and torn, then an ember popped loudly and Vio could see the tiny burn holes that marred the surface of the cloak.

“So what happened in the town? How did you find the others?” Vio asked, staring at the burned hem. Red seemed to have forgotten that he was mid-story. 

“You really want to hear about it?” Red asked timidly his stick stalling in its prodding of the fire. 

“Of course!” Vio said with a grin, “you may have come across something important!” Red let out a derisive snort it sounded so like Blue Vio was a bit taken aback they really had become closer hadn’t they, it also sounded like… “Besides,” Vio said his voice quite “... it might help, too not have to think about-” he swallowed hard before whispered, “him” 

“Ok! Sounds good,” Red said back to his bubbly self. He adjusted Vios cloak and sat back down “where did I leave off? Oh ya! The town was on fire and I was alone!”


	2. Blue breaking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blue and Green go to collect wood and Blue might need a few moments...

Blue stalked towards the glen lashing out everything that got in his way, mostly pebbles but one stone was a bit bigger than the others and when he went to kick it, it moved, Blue tripped, off-balance as his committed kick hit empty air. He fell landing solidly on his hip to roll back up to sitting as the moving boulder unburied itself and started towards the softly swearing Blue who rose to his feet and snatched the tiny Talos off the ground and hurled it as far as he could. Green sauntered up to Blue shading his eyes from the low hanging sky to watching the Talos’s arc across the field,

“Wow! I think that might have been a home run!” Green said with a grin glancing at his comrade. Blue didn't even crack a smile, just hunched his shoulders defensively refusing to make eye contact as he started heading for the glen, his arms swinging in such a rigid manner that green worried he might try to fell a tree with his bare hands. 

“Hey wait up!” Green called practically jogging to keep up with Blue. Blue ignored him foraging straight ahead. 

“Blue come on!” Green called as he batted aside hanging foliage and got tripped up by the underbrush. Blue seemed to be having no trouble cutting through the dense wood like a battleship carving through glacial ice. Unstoppable, indomitable, hard and cold, but quickly running out of momentum. Finally, Blue stopped in a small clearing and began pounding at a fallen tree with his hammer. Green had barely managed to keep up and emerged from the trees to see Blue hammering at the tree-like his life depended on it as something sparkled on his hands and the grip of his hammer. Green approached him carefully cautiously, like a cornered animal that would lash out if startled. He put his hand gently on his brother’s shoulder and felt every muscle tense-

Then he relaxed practically collapsing on the pile of splinters that used to be the top half of a log. His hat slipped forward, shading his eyes.

“Farron’s fury Green,” He murmured, his voice hoarse, “I almost punched you…” 

“But you didn’t,” Green said, crouching in front of his friend, “your self-control has gotten a lot better, how are you holding up?” 

Blue barked out a laugh and grabbed the brim of his hat with both hands curling into himself, his hammer forgotten beside him, Green could have sworn he heard a sniffle. 

“How am I holding up?” Blues voice was lower than usual “What kind of a question is that man? I’m sitting here crying like IM FUCKInG RED! How do You Think its Fucking Going?!” Green fell back at the sudden, raw passion in Blue’s voice.    
“I'm sorry!” Green exclaimed “I just thought you might want-”

“Want what!” Blue hissed “To talk about it?!” his voice trembled “Well Mabey your Fucking right!” 

Green just sat where he had fallen stunned by Blues admission as the blue hero collapsed against the tree trunk ripping his hat off to rub at his swollen eyes. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me!” he cried “I’m fine! Nothings wrong! But I can't stop crying or destroying shit...” 

“Oh, Blue..” Green murmured, he couldn't think of anything else to say Blue never cried…

“I just feel so USELESS” Blue sobbed crumpling his hat in his fist as fresh tears streamed down his face. “I couldn't, didn't, and Vio-” his voice broke “it's all my fault” he wept and suddenly Green was there hugging him close as he sobbed into his shoulder. 

“It's all my fault…" Blue cried "I’m supposed to be the strong one! but I couldn’t protect anyone, not Zelda, not Vio, not Red, not even myself” Blue sobbed. They stayed like that for a long time with tears splattered around like the fresh morning dew. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I give you two bros chilling in the woods no feet apart because Blue needed a hug!
> 
> Hope you enjoyed! your comments will spur the creation of more tearful moments!


	3. Red alight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Red and Vio discuss what happened while they were apart

“I was soooo scared I didn’t know what to do,” Red said as he snuggled against Vio “I tried to look for everyone but before I could this kid came out of nowhere. He ran straight into me, he seemed really desperate, I tried to ask him what was going on and if he was ok, but he just kept babbling about how he needed help and how he wasn’t a thief. Then this mob burst through the trees!” 

“A mob?!” Vio asked baffled “how big was this town? And what did that kid to get a mob on his heels?” 

“The town was pretty small, so the mob was mostly farmers and such” Red said “They came at me and the kid yelling about how he had stolen from them and then set the town on fire! I tried to tell them that the kid said it wasn’t him, but they just kept calling him a liar so I asked them to just listen to his side of the story... But when I turned around, he was gone, And so were my sword and shield! Thank the goddesses Shadow Link found my sword otherwise I’d probably have never gotten it back!” Red gently caressed his four sword as it lay on the ground next to him. 

“Wait,” Vio said “ Shadow never did tell me how he got your sword… what happened to the kid? Did you ever see him again?”

“Ya I did,” Red said “the mob chased me for a bit shouting about how it was my fault they didn’t catch the kid, at one point I tried to explain that I was a knight… But without my sword and shield, they didn’t believe me. Eventually, I stopped trying to reason with them and I just ran. I got far enough ahead of them to hide in a thicket and they passed me by. And that’s where I met the kid again.” 

Vio’s eyes sparkled with interest “and?”

“It was really weird actually,” Red said “I grabbed him and demanded my sword back but he seemed like he didn’t recognize me said he’d never seen a sword or shield, that I was just like those villagers, jumping to conclusions and accusing him of things that he never did. So I apologized, I am pretty sure I had my sword when I woke up in those woods, but at the time I thought that maybe I’d lost them in the waterfall or something.”

“Mabey the first time you saw the kid that was Shadow, and the second time was the real kid? It would explain how shadow got your sword in the first place and why the kid didn’t recognize you the second time.”

“I think your right!” Red said “besides it, couldn’t have been Shadow both times”

“Why do you say that?” Vio asked

“Well after I apologized the kid gave me this” Red said pulling the Ice Rod from his pack, “It had a fire crystal at the time, its what the kid used to set the town on fire, so he gave it to me to frame me for the arson but I didn’t know that at the time he said that since I was so broken up about losing my sword then I could have this then he showed me how to use it and it belched a pilar of flame totally giving away my hiding place then he started hollering about how I was the arsonist and I had to book it the hell out of there!” 

“Your right! Shadow would never give you a weapon, But how does a village kid get that kind of firepower anyway?”

“Would Shadow plant it as a joke?” Red asked, “ just to cause some chaos, make it harder for me to get back to the rest of you?”

“That’s really the only thing that makes sense, so despite how weird it is its probably the truth.” 

“I’ve missed you so much Vio!” Red said as he hugged Vio tight “you’re so smart, you can always put all the pieces together” 

“I’m not so sure about that” Vio chuckled as he hugged the smaller hero tight “But it does seem like something shadow would do. making someone else do his dirty work fits his style, and he has such a weird sense of humor,” Vio said with a little grin, “one time he…” that smile faded “I mean he HAD a…” Vio hugged Red tighter as tears stung his eyes once again, the embers glow blurring as he stared into the fire, the dancing shadows reminding him of all the pieces he didn’t think he could ev er fit togethe r again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Red is the best! but good lord this scene was hard to adapt! 
> 
> comments will grant hugs from Red! hope you enjoyed yourselves!


	4. Blue Broken

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blue tells his story and has many feelings. (also some wood is collected!)

When Blue had quieted and both boys had somewhat composed themselves Green rubbed Blue's shoulder gently and wondered aloud “What happened while I was gone...”

“A lot of things,” Blue said, his voice low and gruff from crying, he sat up and rubbed his eyes, and stared into the forest. It was unnerving, Blue was usually so full of energy that he could hardly stay still he was always fidgeting with his clothes or messing with Red or finding rocks to sort… Green didn’t think he’d ever seen his friend be this still for this long as blue sat completely still, his face calm and contemplative. He almost looked like Vio. Or at least the old Vio…

“Want to tell me about it?” Green asked after a while, shifting nervously in his spot on the log. He half expected Blue to erupt again, like he always did. 

“No,” Blue murmured, his shoulders tensing at the question, then he seemed to catch himself and took a deep breath. He gazed up at the sky and let out a long breath letting the tension drain from his body. “Yes, just… give me a minute”

Green watched in amazement, as Blue’s eyes frosted over with tears again as he studied the sky as if he could read all of history in the clouds, as if they could give him the answers that he so desperately sought. They sat that way for a long time as Blue gathered his thoughts, “A lot changed while you were gone… I changed and I hate thinking about who I was before...” Blues fists clenched in his lap and he fought to take another deep breath to relax, “I hate him, his arrogance, how he… how I treated everyone, especially Red” Blue let out a bitter laugh as tears glinted in the corners of his eyes, “would you believe it? When I woke up all alone on that icy mountain, I was so happy to be alone, but now? I was so convinced that I was the original, the leader, that I was whole.” Blue shivered in disgust, “But I was just scared I've always been scared that I'm not the original, that I'm not a leader, that I'm not good enough… and I was right..” now the tears were coming in earnest cascading down Blue’s cheeks and dripping onto his tunic, “I'm not smart like Vio I never considered why I wasn't on the river anymore, I'm not compassionate like Red never questioned why when I realized that I was alone I felt like id been punched in the gut, I'm not a leader like you Green. When I rescued this old woman from a snowdrift I didn’t even question what she was doing on a snowy mountain alone, or how she even knew about Vaati. I just charged into the first cave she pointed me towards! Goddesses I was such an idiot.” Blue cradled his head in his hands taking steadying breaths as the tears flowed down his face but he didn't seem to care as he tried to calm his shuddering sobs. 

Green reached out to rub Blues back but stopped himself before touching the Blue hero. Green wanted to comfort him, but couldn’t bring himself to touch him, Blue looked so fragile, like he might shatter at the slightest touch. Perhaps he had already shattered, and was slowly melting away. But as Green let him cry he could sense something; it was as if Blue was emptying himself completely, As if all the tears had washed away everything and he was left bereft on his own. Struggling to find his purpose, his identity, the core of what made him unique, now that his delusions of grandeur had melted away. 

the torrent of emotions that Green could feel churning inside him as he unconsciously pulled strips of bark off the log and slowly shredded them. Green wondered what he would come up with. What was Blue’s core, what could he rely on now that his pride was gone. Green wondered, what was his core… Red was ridiculously compassionate, he loved everyone always no matter the circumstance, Vio was so intelligent, he could always come up with a plan no matter how desperate things seemed. Green couldn't be sure of Blue just yet, he had been shrouded in pride and brag for so long. Green thought back to their many battles to Blue wielding his toy hammer with enough force and passion for it to become manifest, passion… Greens eyes flew open Passion! That was it! Blues core. Green almost shouted but Blue’s posture stopped him. He was bent over staring at the ground, his forearms resting across his knees. He began to speak again, his voice hoarse from crying, but he couldn't help but tell the rest of his story, like he was compelled to expel it along with the tears.

“As I got my bearings after the boat crash,” Blue said as he scuffed the ground with his boot. “I heard a muffled cry for help. I found this old woman buried under a snowdrift, I got her out easily enough, She was wearing a thick black cloak, when I got her out of the snowbank it was shading her whole face which I remember thinking was a bit weird, like could she even see?” his shoulders shuddered in what might have been a hint of hysterical laughter,

“She thanked me and said that the blizzard had started out of nowhere when Vatii returned and that he was in a cave not too far away.” Blue shook his head forlornly,

“So I told her that the “Great Hero” Link would take care of it.” Then he did laugh, a short bark of it verging on a sob. “Goddesses I am such a prat,” his mouth lilted slightly almost a hint of a smile and green felt his heart leap in hope. “ When I got there it was a small cave, wind was blasting from it constantly. I dove in without a second thought, I was so focused on the prospect of a good fight...It was actually a long-frozen tunnel, I shouted a challenge down the tunnel, told Vatii to show himself and face me… I thought I could do it alone, but as I got further in I…,” Blue swallowed hard before continuing, “I heard voices… At first, I thought it was an echo but the words… they changed! _Show yourself_ it said over and over and then _what's wrong? Scared to be alone? Are you afraid?_ That made me angry, which made me stupid… which I'm realizing is way more common than had hoped.” Blue ran his fingers through his hair knocking his hat askew, “I just charged forward yelling trying to block out the voices to focus on the fight! but it never came… and as time went on, I realized that the voices were right…” He stared at his hands, hardly breathing as he kept talking. It was like he was ringing the last few drops of water from a rag. “Then something touched my shoulder and I spun!.. then, nothing…” Blue finally looked over to Green, “Next thing I remember is Red saving me.”

Green nodded slowly he could tell Blue was waiting for a response so after a minute he said, “And that’s when you started to change?” Green asked as he stood up to begin gathering the splintered wood from the fallen tree. Blue stayed sitting for a bit longer before getting up to help. After a while, he said, “maybe it started in that cave, I think part of me knew the whole time, how stupid I was being, that I am way too impulsive to be a leader, that the only reason I butted heads with everyone so often was ‘cause I knew I could never do what the rest of you do...”

“What do you mean by that?” Green prompted as he bent down to pick up a stick that had fallen to the ground.

“Well, I mean…” Blue paused apparently lost in thought, “Vio risked his life! And lost a dear friend just to get us some information! You… well! You're our leader! A better one than I would be… you actually listen to other people. All by yourselves, you’re amazing! even Red he… he, he saved me...” Blue shook, and Green thought that he might be crying again, but he kept gathering wood and let Blue have a moment.

“But me! Alone!” Blue cried his knuckles growing pale as he gripped the wood in his hand fiercely. “I just got my ass kicked! I was a freaking popsicle! And I'd still be there if Red hadn't found me. I'm such an ass… even the boat crash! It was my fault! If I had just listened to the rest of you-” 

“It's no one's fault Blue,” Green said as he twisted a partially attached piece of wood free from the log. “There is no way that was a natural accident. We all ended up far too far away from one another. It must have been some sort of magic, maybe even the maidens ‘cause I think we all learned valuable lessons when we were alone. Vio made a real friend, Red became self-sufficient, and you, you learned to rely on others, that is just as important as being a leader” Green faltered _what had he learned?_

Blue stopped and glanced up at Green “thanks man, that,” he cleared his throat, “that means a lot.” 

In the end, it took them way longer than it should have to collect enough wood but they both felt better for it. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter took me forever!!  
> But I hope you enjoy it all the same :)
> 
> Let me know what you thought of it cause comments are the best!


	5. Green's moonlight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Green reveals what he was doing during the separation also have some cute red/blue

Green and blue returned with arms full of wood, Blue seemed to have calmed down significantly and Green was practically skipping despite the heavy load,   
“we’re back!” Green declared as he dumped the pile of damp wood in a corner, Blue grumbled under his breath as he went over to stack the wood neatly. When he heard Greens voice Red untangled himself from Vio’s cloak to help with the wood, but upon seeing the dirty and sodden Blue he rooted around in his bag and proceeded to chase Blue around the whole cave trying to towel off his sopping hair with a spare tunic and berating him for not taking his cloak.  
Green sat back down by the fire and looked across at Vio who was watching Red and Blues antics fondly. “A lot has changed,” Green said following Vio’s gaze,  
"It really has" Vio smiled gently  
“I think you need to hear what happened to me," Green said as he built up the fire, "I think it might fill in a few gaps.” Vio turned to Green immediately interested.   
“Do tell”  
“Well, I woke up in the desert. It was a Gerudo village-”  
“Gerudo? Are you sure Vio interrupted   
“Ya,” Green said a bit taken aback by Vios intense gaze “I rested a little while and everyone I met looked Gerudo, then when I went into the desert looking for you guys the guards that tried to stop me said something about a forbidden desert and tried to stop me but I got past them and they were definitely Gerudo, or at least there spears were.” Vio nodded and gestured for Green to continue “I wasn’t in the desert long before I got caught up in a sand storm so I took refuge in a pyramid that I came across, only... I wasn’t alone.  
Red and Blue had settled down next to the fire by now snuggling, Red had forced Blue into clean clothes and was braiding his damp hair while they listened to Greens tale. They had heard a brief summary before the rescue mission but neither of them had heard the details before.  
“I met Sir Valensuela”   
“What!” all the other heroes reeled in shock   
“Why was he in the Gerudo desert?” Vio demanded  
“Didn’t he disappear with the other knights?” Blue asked  
“Does he know where Father is??!” Red exclaimed  
“I don’t know guys, I’m sorry,” Green said as he stared into the newly kindled fire “But I'll tell you what I do know, He wasn’t himself, he was a ghost almost-”  
“HE WAS DEAD!!” Red cried as Blue tried to shush him while looking equally panicked all braiding forgotten.   
“I don’t think so,” Green said, it’s more like he wasn’t part of our world I could only touch him when I used the moon pearl to go to the shadow realm”  
“The dark mirror” Vio muttered  
“Could it do that?” Blue asked incredulously  
“I’m not sure,” Vio said his fingers steepled in thought, “But it’s my best guess”  
“He didn’t know who he was,” Green said, “ he chased me through the whole pyramid it was a maze filled with traps and other monsters they seemed to feed off my light” he shivered and added some more wood to the fire “I didn’t even realize that it was Valensuela until I broke his helmet, and after that, he remembered who he was. Then he gave me this, Green said as he pulled a gem from underneath his tunic it was on a leather thong tied around his neck.”  
“How did Shadow Link manage to suppress the will of a full-blown knight?” Vio asked more to himself than to the others “he was powerful, sure but not that strong.”   
“He said it wasn’t Shadow Link,” Green said “or Vaati either” preempting Blue and Red. “he said there was a greater darkness that it was just using Vaati that it created Shadow Link but he couldn’t tell me what it was.” Vio looked like he was about to puke “But when I was in the village I heard some interesting Gerudo tales about a dark lord, Gakon, or Galrond or-  
“Gannon?” Vio whispered   
“Ya! That’s what it was” Green said excitedly, “but Vio how did you?”   
“The Deku scrubs in the forest, Before I met Shadow they were talking about how they served a lord Gannon, and Shadow let that name slip a few times too, it's all connected somehow, Vatii, Shadow, the dark mirror, and now Gannon,” now Vio was pacing the cave as he muttered to himself lost in thought.   
“Wait,” Red said, “what does the gem Valensuela gave you do?”  
“It's a key,” Green said, studying its facets in the firelight “to the Tower of the Winds… where they are holding Zelda.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh man I haven't updated this in forever you have my sincerest apologies   
> please leave a comment if you are enjoying this series they are one of the only things that give me motivation

**Author's Note:**

> This one will have several chapters so don't worry its not over yet!  
> Hope you enjoyed it! comments are the lifeblood of this work!


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